Brahe, Tycho: Brahe at the mural quadrant

Tycho Brahe and his assistants in his Uraniborg observatory, a coloured version of an engraved illustration from his book Astronomiae instauratae mechanica (1598). Dominating the foreground is a mural quadrant, an astrological instrument so large that it was mounted on a wall. Three assistants take measurements, one reading the telescope, a second reading the graduated scale and noting the time, and a third recording the measurements. Tycho Brahe himself is the large figure in the middle ground, pointing toward an aperture in the wall through which a star’s altitude could be measured. The hound at Tycho’s feet symbolizes loyalty. On the wall behind the astronomer are two oval framed portraits, one each of his patrons, King Frederick II and Queen Sophia of Denmark, and a niche containing a globe. In the background are several arcades in which can be seen assistants viewing the stars, working in Tycho’s study, and performing chemical experiments.